Weekender

There are many people who once practiced homosexuality who have chosen not to do so. For some it is a matter of abstention but for others they have found heterosexuality a better choice. I just found a web site called Exodus that deals with this issue. I haven't looked through it thoroughly but it may have some of the information you're asking about.

Brad, My wife and I also Homeschool our two children (both boys). And I agree completely that the merit badges make excellent school units. We've found the scientific and animal raising (pets etc) related badges particularly useful in our science program. We also incorperate community service into our school curriculum. You are probably already aware of this but if not you might want to look into the "congressional award" program. All other scouters may want to check it out as well. The award honors kids for community service, personal growth, and expedition or exploration efforts.

sctmom Leviticus 18:22 "do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." I don't want to be "preachy" or force my beliefs on anyone else but I believe in God, and I believe he personally created each of us. He would not intentionally create a person who could not help but be detestable to the Him. . 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has siezed you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Hom

I'm a 21 year Air Force veteran (still serving). I think the the flag should stay but agree that the boys and adults should take care not to disrespect it. Duty to country is a big part of our program. Were any of you aware of the uproar caused when US soldiers serving in desert Shield/Storm were told they could not display a US flag on their uniform. We knew about it in the service but I don't recall whether or not it was publicized. Many of the solodiers who were forced to remove the flag from their sleeves sewed them on the inside of their hats just so that everyone would know what

Ozemu, I agree 100% that the boys need to be reasponsible for their gear. Our problem with the chuck boxes is that they are used on the campout and then once we get them back to town they are never looked at again until they reach the next campsite. Our storage location is one problem (we're working to fix that) but the gear is used and then stuffed in the box and not checked when it gets back to town. By having the boys carry it in their packs they tend to be more aware of how dirty it is. By making them bring it with them to the next meeting and checking it in, either to a troop or

Kevin M, You hit on something that has helped our troop get started in the direction of backpacking. Here in West Texas there is no an aboundance of backcountry trail for us to use and most places that you can camp are car accessable. But that doesn't mean you have to drive the boys right to the site. Maybe you could find a site in your area that has a 1 or 2 mile dirt road leading into it and start off by having the scouts walk that road with or without their gear. Work your way up from just walking to carrying personal gear to carrying all gear to leaving the trailer home once in a

You know it! Last year I lobbied for the hiking merit badge...the boys went for it and that has gotten us started. This year we've still got a short backpacking trip (7 miles RT) down near San Antonio and a 20 miler at Big Bend planned for a weekend in March. April is waterskiing so we'll be close to the cars but summercamp this year is going to be Wehinepay mountain in New Mexico. Everything is uphill from everywhere else. ) I'm trying to put in at least 4-6 trips per year that require packs and thought. (no offense to those who enjoy car camping) My only problem is getting the adults in

We have chuck boxes in our troop. While they can be convenient at times, all in all I wish we didn't have them. First, they are really geared to camping near a vehicle (they are quite heavy). Once the scouts (and adults) get used to having them it is difficult to break them away which means it's tough to get away from car camping. Second, The boxes tend to get very cluttered. I had the boys spend the better part of two hours on a recent campout cleaning them out and putting all the items back in the proper boxes. By the time we got home they looked terrible again. For me it's a constant

I've seen alot of good ideas in this thread. The Air Force has a military clothing board that meets at regular intervals to review the current uniform items. Maybe the BSA could use a similar board. I particularly like the idea of having a dress (courts of honor) and field uniform. A BDU style and quality pant would be a nice addition. The long sleeve T-shirt or sweat shirt sounds good as well. I think the bottom line is that if the BSA wants to make sales they need to listen to their customers and design some good quality clothing at reasonable prices. Does anyone know a nationa

eisely, I wasn't able to find the post you metnioned so I don't know if thsi idea has been put forward. Our troop had some problems with this issue and what we have done is put the slowest hiker up front to set the pace. No one paces him. It's not a perfect solution but it has helped in two ways. One, it encourages that scout to improve, and two, it helps the other scouts realize that not everyone can just sprint down the trail. On the donw side it does cause occasional frustration fo the faster hikers so we try to find sections of trail where they can stretch their legs a bit.

Well, Two uniform issues just came up this last week. On Monday one of our scouts came to the meeting without wearing his uniform. While the other scouts were getting inspected he was in the hall doing his 80 pushups (I keep telling the boys that we will either be the sharpest or the strongest troop in town (please remember, this was THEIR solution)). We'll see how he looks next week. On the flip side the young man who used to be the worst offender came to the meeting in his full uniform for the fourth time in a row with no discrepencies (We recognized him for that effort). I guess he got

eisely, Thanks for the post. I'll be passing it around my GOVERNMENT office )

I'm in favor of patrol outings if you have the adult supervision necessary to pull it off and if the patrol does not skip troop activities in favor of their own.

When my sons and I joined our current troop I was less than thrilled with the effort the troop was putting into their uniforms. I feel that a uniform (in whatever form it takes) is important to esprit de corps. I went to the PLC and told them that I wanted to see an improvemnt in this area and why I felt that way. I asked them to come up with a plan for improving our uniform wear and to get the troop as a whole to approve it. In light of another recent conversation here, some of you may not like this. The BOYS decided that they would do a uniform inspection (about 5 minutes) as part o

I worked with a troop for a couple years while my boys were cubs. When a new boy registered with the troop he was given a piece of 1x4 to put his name and the year on and decorate as he wanted. Two hanging loops were then attached to the board. The boards were hung from rank plaques on the wall. As a boy advanced through the ranks his plank was moved up from rank to rank. We had the boy move his name up as part of the court of honor. Those boys who made eagle had their boards placed in a row of boards that encircled our meeting room. When we met we were surrounded by the names of those

I've never heard this one before. Is there aparticular tune that it goes to or is it more of a chant? is there anyplace to get guitar chords for these types of songs?

Ed, Thanks for the info. I tried that site but couldn't get through. I'll keep trying. I'm a Talon you...i'm an eagle too!!

FScouter, Thanks for keeping an eye out for me. Ebay doesn't have it listed any more. I'll have to remember to go back and search every now and then.

We had three or four different varieties of acorns, everything from live oak to burr oak. The tree the acorn came from determined how to prep it. Dark acorns, live oak, red oak etc. have a lot of Tanin (tanic acid) in them. This tanin must be leached out or the acorn will taste VERY bitter. If you have ever eaten the soft inner shell part of a fresh pecan you know what tanin tastes like. The leaching process is done by boiling the shelled acorns until the water turns brown, then dumping the old water and repeating with fresh until the water runs clear after boiling. Some folks just run t

Just found the name. They are called Nopalitos...No' - pal - ee - toes. Some web sites say they are cut up adult pads but I have it on good authority that the new spring shoots are the way to go.

Prickly pear is a cactus with flat, mickey mouse ear, looking pads. Attached to the pads grow prickly pear fruit (apples). They are redish purple, kind of oblong, not quite egg shaped bulbs that are covered in spines. You have to be very careful when you handle these (use pliers until they have been singed). Our scouts singed the spines off by holding the fruit (speared on a sharp stick) in a flame for a minute or two while rotating it to make sure all the spines were burned off. Then you cut them in half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds. Make sure you do a good job with the seeds. Then cut

Rooster7, Sorry, I'm afraid you were just too subtle for me. Next time try a 2x4. ) BTW, I never shared how my dad helped me learn to swim...One day he took me out in his boat on one of the local lakes. Without any warning he just threw me over the side of the boat into the water. It turned out that swimming really wasn't all the hard after you get out of the burlap sack.

People eating tasty Anima...sorry, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A nobel pursuit if not not taken to extremes. Unfortunately many PETA activists place more value on the life a chicken or frog than on the life of a person.

I understand that some folks could have concern. We did a similar camp about two years ago. At first the dads were concerned about kids "killing things" and the effect it might have. What surprised me was the response of our moms...without exception they were for it. One of the things we leaders had to be sure of was to control the "Buck fever" tendancies this activity can invoke. There is a bit of adrenalin flowing and the boys need to be guided through the experience. Our job was to keep the boys focused and to help them understand that, yes, they were taking a life and that it was the

Just got back from a great campout with my scout troop. We went to a local property (we call'em ranches) in order to teach our scouts some survival skills. We started Friday night with Beef jerky for supper that the scouts had helped to prepare the previous week and river water to wash it down with . When the boys got up in the morning we had a discussion about turkeys and how they nest. We told them there were two simulated turkey nests in the area with their breakfast in them and sent them out to find their food. Breakfast was scrambled "turkey" eggs and prickly pear cactus pads (picked last